


Summer, 1986.

by van_ta_black



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Bi-Curiosity, Comfort No Hurt, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:26:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27250420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/van_ta_black/pseuds/van_ta_black
Summary: Stress prompts Birkin into an early mid-life crisis, Wesker invites him to spend some much needed time away from the lab.Tags updated next chapter.
Relationships: William Birkin/Albert Wesker
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't like posting in chapters but this has been unfinished in my drafts for a while and maybe it will motivate me to actually finish the rest.

Summer, 1986.

In the weeks following the birth of his daughter William’s behaviour had become strange. He was distant and distracted, resulting in multiple slip-ups at work in recent weeks that easily could have been avoided. If anyone dared to mention his unusual behaviour to him he’d lash out, making for a very unpleasant work environment. Not only was it bringing down his own performance, but it was directly impacting everyone else too. Albert had to intervene for the sake of everyone involved.

When he had first suggested the idea of spending the weekend by the lake together, William immediately declined. It took several days of convincing before he hesitantly agreed to it, on the terms that Albert promised to keep him safe. The journey itself was rather peaceful, navigating the remote winding roads on a warm summers morning as they delved further into the depths of the Arklay mountains, far from the usual overcrowded tourist spots. For those not familiar to the area, it would be easy to get lost within the dense forests and find themselves lost to the cruel mercy of mother nature.

“It’s just as dreadful as I remembered it.” William said, staring out of the car window with a half empty bottle of beer in his hand. In the distance he could see the large old cabin across the lake, the structure conflicting with it’s tranquil surroundings.

“Promise me you’ll at least try to enjoy yourself.” Albert replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

“After what happened last time… I have incredibly low expectations.” They had been here previously while on a field trip during their time at the management training facility. Of course it was no vacation, they were tasked with collecting samples from the lake as a form of ‘team building’ exercises. 

“You’re being dramatic, it wasn’t that bad.”

“You pushed me into the lake then had the audacity to lie about it.” Though it had happened almost a decade ago when they were still teenagers, the topic managed to immensely irritate him every time it was brought up. Through gritted teeth he continued on with his rant, “Then to top it off everyone defended you in some grand conspiracy against me.”

“Grand conspiracy?” Albert briefly looked over at him, his expression changing into one of mock-seriousness, “Sounds serious.”

“You’re not denying it.” The younger blonde glared at him before taking another swig from the bottle. This was going to be a rough weekend.

***

By midday the two had settled in, Albert was cutting up logs in the outdoor sitting area ready for the campfire later on. William relaxed on a chair a short distance from him, book in hand. The book itself wasn’t nearly as interesting as watching Albert work. He seemed to do everything with such vigour, no matter how challenging it was. It was a quality that used to make him jealous but it was one he had learned to respect.

The younger male peered over the top of the page, his eyes stealthily scanning his co-workers impeccable physique. Every time he rose the axe the sleeve of his shirt would ride up, exposing more of his tensed bicep. Sweat emerged across Albert’s forehead, illuminating his smooth skin in the scorching midday heat. The burly men that graced top shelf magazines had never really interested William, he was more into men like Albert who were tall, blonde and all natural.

“Hard work.” Albert glanced over at him before taking a step back as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, “Care to help?”

The older man must have caught him staring, he wasn’t usually one for small talk. William pulled the book back up, concealing his face from view, “Do I look like much of an outdoorsman to you?”

Albert dislodged the axe, gesturing for William to come over and join him, “It might make you feel better.”

William rose from his seat, settling the book down in his place. He took the axe from Albert, getting used to it’s weight before he swung at the log. He hit it several times over, the lack of precision caused several deep cuts in the wood with none of them near the point of going through. His permanent blank expression made him hard to read but he knew that he wasn’t overtly impressed with his efforts. Albert took it back from him, finishing the job. He picked up the log, splitting it open with his bare hands with a small grunt. 

William watched on, his knees growing weak. He swallowed thickly, fanning his face with his hand, “I think I’m going to need another drink.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be NSFW.

After a hard days work the two found themselves converging around the roaring campfire. Albert had returned from the cooler with another two bottles of ice cold beer, cracking them open for them to enjoy together.

"I'm surprised you still haven't found a woman to settle down with. You're handsome enough." William said before diving straight into another drink. He typically wasn't a big drinker but he thought if he did happen to get a bit too tipsy then Albert had the means to look 

"I'm just not interested." Albert rolled his eyes, slightly amused by the stroking of his ego. Although they frequently made passive flirtatious remarks to one another, it was supposed to be a joke. However his incessant leering today didn't feel like one of their usual jokes.

"No... other reasons?" He reached out and squeezed Albert's forearm, copping a feel of his muscles. It felt almost criminal to waste such pure genetics.

"No other reasons." Raising an eyebrow at the implication, he turned his head to look at the hand on his bicep. He tensed his forearm, eliciting a small purr of delight from the younger male.

Upon realisation that Albert was watching him faun over him, William reluctantly pulled his hand away, "It seems curiosity got the better of me."

"You know you just reminded me, I think I might have strained my arm earlier." He rolled his shoulder back for emphasis, "You wouldn't mind rubbing it for a bit, would you?"

"If you really want me to." William hesitated for a moment before putting his hand back on Albert's arm. He began moving his thumb in a circular motion, gently massaging the area where the supposed tense muscles were.

"What about you, how is life at home?" Albert asked.

William gave a half smile, his eyes fixated on Albert's forearm, "Truth is, I'm not finding it easy."

"I noticed, you seem to be spending a lot of time at work again." He was going back to his old ways, that was clear enough. During Annette's pregnancy William had been bragging to him about how much of a perfect father he was going to be, listing off points one by one as if he had rehearsed them over and over again.

The younger male paused, seemingly deep in thought. The conversation had clearly bothered him in some way.

Albert put his hand on William's shoulder, inviting him to confide in him, "How about I rub your shoulders and you can tell me all about it."

William's eyes narrowed as he took a moment to review the situation. Good or bad, there was always an ulterior motive with Albert. 

"Don't be rude. Turn around." 

William shifted so his back was towards Albert. He shivered as Albert's hand traced down his spine and down to the hem of his shirt, pulling it up slowly. He took a deep breath in and protested, "I don't think that's necessary."

"The friction of the fabric wont feel good against your skin." Albert stopped, tilting his head to look at William. The younger man slowly pulled off his shirt and placed it on his lap, revealing his slim figure underneath.

Albert placed both his hands on the younger man’s shoulders, rubbing gently, "Now, tell me what's bothering you."

William’s tense demeanour soon subsided as he leant back into Albert’s touch, "Married life isn't as grand as people claim it to be or maybe it's just not the lifestyle for me. I can't tell which it is." 

"I must admit, I was rather surprised when I first heard about your relationship. You had never shown an interest in such things until she came along." The marriage had unfortunately caused an unspoken rift between them, Albert had always been jealous of Annette even though no one would have suspected that to be the case. He had spent years grooming William to be his dedicated companion, someone who would rely on him and praise him.

"She was the first and only woman to show any interest in me. In a way I felt obligated to return those feelings." He felt pathetic admitting it, but it was the truth.

There was another momentary silence between them.

"Al, may I confess something?"

"Go on."

"Recently Annette's been telling me that I need to fulfil my promise and put more time aside to focus on our family..." If he didn't confess now it would just keep weighing in on his conscious and upset him further. He pursed his lips, taking a deep breath in, "So... I bought some paper work home a few weeks ago but Sherry wouldn't stop crying. It was so loud, I couldn't concentrate. I shook her out of frustration, I only stopped because Annette slapped me."

"You deserved it."

William took another deep breath. He put his head in his hands, overwhelmed with guilt, "I know, but at the time I was so angry. We started arguing, I told her I didn't want to be with her if she continued to force me to choose between work and family. Even now she still refuses to understand my perspective."

It was clear that William's passion for his work was slowly devolving into a borderline deadly obsession. It was rare to see an individual be willing to sacrifice everything in an attempt to reach their goals. In a strange way it was admirable. Albert's hands rested flat on top of William's shoulders, "It doesn't matter if she understands or not. You and I both know that your sacrifices are for the greater good."

He was right. Albert was always right. He slowly sat back upright and pulled away from Albert's hold. Shame washed over the younger man as he turned to face his friend, picking his shirt back up, "You're right, I'm sorry for bothering you with my mundane domestic problems."

Albert peered over the top of his sunglasses, staring down at the younger man as his hand lifted and cupped William's chin, “No apologies are necessary, I’m always here if you want to talk."

"You are a good friend, Al. Thank you for everything." He gripped the shirt in his hand, looking solemnly up at Albert. The sight of the older man’s eyes were a rare occurrence and it never failed to captivate him.

They were staring at one another, the bright flames of the fire reflecting off of Albert's sunglasses. That’s when the idea came to him. William dropped the shirt then reached up and slowly slid the glasses from the other man’s face, fully revealing his glistening blue eyes. 

He slowly placed the frames to the ground and put his hand on Albert's broad shoulder, leaning in closer until their faces were only inches apart. The staring continued for a little longer, both of them reluctant to make the first move.

A small smile formed on the corner of Albert’s lips as he whispered to William, his hot alcohol laced breath hitting him in the face, "Are you going to kiss me?"


End file.
